Central Park Coffee
by Bastard Snow
Summary: 9th in the Coffee Series. The Scooby gang heads to New York to talk to a new Slayer - and to meet some of Xander's extended family.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Central Park Coffee

Rated: T

Author: BastardSnow

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it

Author's note: I cannot be blamed for the crossover here. Seriously. Not my fault. My boss forced me to watch the show. I _swear_. Also, I know the next crossover was supposed to be with _Saved!_, but seriously, that just wasn't working at all. As you may be able to tell from the fact that it's been more than 2 years since the last Coffee fic. This will technically have a _Saved!_ crossover, but we're getting that out of the way early.

Author's note 2: Crossover with Gossip Girl. Spoilers up through 2x19 "The Grandfather." I know the timeline is all messed up, so here are some ages I'm going with: Xander – 28. Dawn – 22. Dan – 18. I know this meshes not at all with the Coffee timeline (in that Dawn has aged, Coffee-wise, 2 years in a matter of months (since Colorado)), but I figure that I can excuse this because Gossip Girl has an abstract relationship with time, and that's allowed to infect me.

____________________________________

Xander stumbled as he ran for the door, the screaming following him down the hallway. He fumbled with the handle for a moment, then flung the door open in front of him and ran out onto the sidewalk. A final scream rang out from the house, and was followed by a book that slammed into the back of Xander's head, knocking him from his feet and planting him chin first on the concrete.

"And stay away from me and my house, sinner!"

The door slammed shut. Xander rolled over and sat up. He picked up the book. "The Secret," he said, tossing the book into the grass. "Figures." He got up and started walking back to the motel, wondering exactly how he was going to tell Faith that in the hour since she'd left him, he'd managed to completely alienate this girl and make entirely certain that they'd never see her at the school.

His Blackberry rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Xander," said Dawn's voice. "How's Hilary Faye?"

"Far too accurate," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What?"

"Nothing. What's up?"

"Got a new girl for whenever you guys are done in Maryland. You guys up for a return of the Summers sisters? And Willow?"

"Sure, we're always up for company," Xander said. "Why are you joining us though?"

"She's in New York, and I need some shopping therapy," she said. "Eleanor Waldorf has this great new dress that she premiered at Fashion Week that –"

"Yeah, yeah. That's fine. Actually, I've been looking for an excuse to catch up with some family," said Xander.

"I didn't know you had family in New York."

"A couple cousins, and an ex-half-uncle by marriage," Xander said.

"What's a half uncle?"

"He was married to my mom's half-sister," Xander said. "Still, Uncle Rufus is pretty cool. He was in a pretty popular band back in the nineties."

"Cool. Well, I'll make arrangements. How soon are you guys going to be done?"

Xander paused for a moment. There was no way they were going to recruit Hilary Faye. If they left soon, they could drive to New York by that evening.

"Tomorrow," Xander said. "We'll head up tomorrow. And make it somewhere nice."

"Are you guys sharing a room, or should I get an extra?

"Uh… I um… I guess…"

"One room then, got it," she said.

"Hey, question," Xander said. "Regarding Giles's monetary disposition."

"Oh, I feel a nightmare coming on."

"Nothing horrible," Xander said. "Do you think he'd mind if I made some, uh, non-standard charges to the Council's card and paid them back later?"

"How non-standard are we talking?" Dawn asked.

"More than a cake, less than a kidney," Xander said.

"That's kind of a wide range," she said.

"Uh… what about a limo and an expensive restaurant?"

"Awww!" Dawn said. "That's so cute that you think Faith is an expensive restaurant girl."

"You don't think she'd like a nice night out?" Xander asked.

"I don't think she has anything to wear to a nice night out," Dawn said.

"Well, what do you suggest? We just kind of… fell into this thing, and I owe her a dinner since I said I'd take her out to one. It feels like there should be, I don't know, something to mark the occasion that we're actually dating, you know?"

"And screwing doesn't do that?"

Xander cleared his throat. "Well, we… haven't actually…"

"Oh!" Dawn said. "Well, you can't see it, but my face is totally red right now."

"So noted," Xander said. "Well, unless you can think of something else…"

"No, not really, sorry," Dawn said.

"Well, I think that's where I'm at, then."

"Okay," Dawn said. "And don't worry about Giles. He'll totally be cool with it."

"Great. Thanks, Dawn."

"Sure thing," she said. "See you guys tomorrow!"

Xander hung up and walked the rest of the way to the motel. Thirty minutes later, he opened the door to the room he and Faith shared and heard the shower running. He glanced around for a moment, then headed up to the front desk.

A pretty young blonde woman in a khaki skirt and a dress shirt dazzled him with a very convincing smile.

"Good morning, sir," she said. "What can I do for you?"

Xander smiled at her. "I was wondering if you know any romantic restaurants in the area."

*****

Dan Humphrey pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Huh," he said.

"Huh what?" Vanessa asked.

"You uh... you remember my cousin, Xander?"

"The one from California?" she asked

Dan nodded. "Looks like he'll be in town tomorrow," he said. "Hey, Dad!"

"Yeah, Dan?" Rufus Humphrey called from the kitchen.

"Xander's coming into town tomorrow. Wants to get together."

"Hey, great," Rufus said, looking up from the vegetables he was slicing. "It's been too lo – are his parents coming?"

Dan's fingers flew across the keys of his phone for a moment. A minute later his phone buzzed again. "No," Dan said. "Just him and some friends." The phone buzzed again. "And he doesn't need a place to crash – I offered – but says thanks."

"As I was saying, it's been too long," Rufus said, returning to his vegetables.

"I didn't know you guys kept that closely in touch," Vanessa said.

Dan shook his head. "We don't, not really. Hadn't talked for a while, but he got in touch after Sunnydale collapsed to let us know he's okay, and we've been e-mailing every few months or so."

"Oh, that's right," Vanessa said. "He's from Sunnydale. How early did he get out?"

"Uh, if I remember right, I believe he was actually on the last bus out of town, right at the end."

"Wow," she said. "He must have stories."

"Probably does," Dan said. "I haven't really talked to him about it much."

"Why not?"

Dan shrugged. "I guess it always kind of felt like intruding. I do know his former fiancée died there. And that he lost his eye."

"Ooh," Vanessa said, her eyebrows furrowing. "And he said he was okay?"

"The uh, the eye was actually before the town collapsed. He said it was a construction accident."

"Wow," said Vanessa. "That's rough."

"Xander didn't have the easiest life," Rufus said, joining them at the dining table. "His mom and dad weren't exactly parents of the year candidates, and despite its suburban nature, Sunnydale could be kind of a rough town. The last time we were out there, Dan was just 8, but Jessica - that's Xander's mom - told me that one of Xander's best friends had disappeared a few years earlier."

"That's horrible," Vanessa said. "Well, what's he doing now?"

Dan and Rufus looked at each other.

"Um... I'm not really sure, actually," Dan said. He shrugged. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow." His phone buzzed again, and he looked at the message. "And... we get to meet his girlfriend."

*****

"They took the train?" Buffy asked as she pulled her luggage off the carousel. "Why would they do that?"

"There's not really a great place for a car here," Dawn said. "Plus, public transportation's so good, who needs it?"

"Fair enough, I guess," said Buffy. "I still would have flown."

"It's like a three hour train ride from Baltimore," said Dawn. "Maybe they just wanted a little more alone time. On the plus side, we get to spend the day shopping."

"That is a big plus," said Buffy. "Where are we staying again?"

"Times Square Hilton," Willow said, coming up beside them. "No bags yet?"

"Not yet," said Buffy. "Bathroom trip uneventful? No Willow-clones who we could assault?"

"No, just general airporty grossness," said Willow. She pointed at the carousel. "Here's me."

She stepped forward and grabbed her suitcase, then stepped back to Buffy and Dawn.

"So, we don't need to spend time looking for this girl?" Buffy asked.

"Not today," said Willow. "We know she attends Constance Billard School for Girls, and we know her name, but that's about it. It being Saturday, we don't really have any way of getting more info at the moment, other than breaking into the school."

"No computer searches? No tech-fu to get us more info?" Buffy asked.

Willow shrugged. "I did some searches, but I kept coming across this stupid gossip site, which is just filled with absolutely ridiculous things. I don't know, if half of what that site says is true then we may want to think twice about recruiting this girl."

"Oh, come on," Dawn said. "If Sunnydale High had a gossip site back in the day, and it featured mostly the Cordettes, how much horrible and ridiculous crap would be up there?"

"True," said Willow. "Still, some of the things it says…"

"Well, I say we give her the benefit of the doubt. Did the site have anything useful?"

"One thing," Willow said. She reached into her carry-on bag and pulled out a folder. She opened it up and pulled out a photograph. "This is what she looks like."

Buffy and Dawn took a look at the photo.

"Pretty," Buffy said.

"I don't know," Dawn said. "I mean, yes, but… she kinda looks like a bitch."

"I guess," said Buffy. "But like I said, I'm all benefit-of-the-doubt girl. No judging until we meet her. She's a slayer, and whether she's a bitch or not, we offer any help we have. Understood?"

"Got it," Willow said.

Dawn took one last look at the picture. "Welcome to your new life, Blair Waldorf," she said. A slight chill ran up her spine for a second, and she thought she heard a soft click. Dawn turned her head slightly, looking suspiciously at the crowd.

"What?" Buffy asked, looking around.

"I don't know," said Dawn. "I just got the feeling that someone was watching me, or like taking a picture or something."

All three of them looked around at the crowd.

"I don't see anything," Buffy said.

Dawn shook her head. "I think maybe Andrew is making me paranoid with all his conspiracy theories. It's probably nothing."

"So when are Xander and Faith getting in?"

"About now, actually," Dawn said, checking the clock on her phone. "We may catch them at the hotel, but Xander said something about catching up with some family?"

"Oh, right, his cousins and uncle live here," Willow said.

"Ex-half-uncle by marriage, he told me."

"Whatever that means," said Buffy. She darted forward and came back with an extremely large suitcase.

"Excellent," said Dawn, grabbing the handle on her bag. "Shall we?"

"I didn't know Xander had family on this side of the country," Buffy said.

"His mom's half-sister lives out here. Separated or divorced, I think. Xander trades e-mails with his cousin Dan, though, sometimes," said Willow. "Actually, his uncle's a little bit famous."

"Oh?" Buffy asked. "How so?"

"He was in a band back in the early nineties," said Willow. "Uh… Lincoln Hawk, I think it was."

"Huh," said Dawn. "Never heard of them."

"They had a couple of big songs – where's... Buffy?"

Willow and Dawn stopped walking, and looked around. Buffy was standing stock still, her jaw wide open, staring at Willow.

"What?" Willow asked. "What is it?"

"Xander's uncle is Rufus Humphrey?" Buffy asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. Rufus. I couldn't remember his name," Willow said. "How did you –"

Buffy's cell phone was already out and dialed. "Xander?" she said. "I absolutely *have* to meet your uncle."

*****

"Okay," Xander said, scratching his nose where it was irritated by his eye patch. "No, that's fine. Buff, I get it, you're a fan. Yes, I'll call you later. We'll have dinner or something."

Xander listened for another minute, then rolled his eyes. "Okay. We'll see you later." He hung up. "Sorry. My friend Buffy's apparently a closet Lincoln Hawk fan, or at least a Rufus Humphrey fan. That should be a fun and awkward time."

"Oh, God, that's exactly what Dad needs," Dan said. "A young girl stroking his musical ego. I can see it now, Rufus Humphrey spurred to write a new solo album by his legion of adoring fan."

"Ha," Xander said. "Unlikely. And Buffy's not that young. Although I never said that."

"Never said what?" Faith asked, walking up to them.

"That Buffy is 'not that young.'" Xander said. He glanced at Dan, who looked surprised. "Faith, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Dan Humphrey," he said. "Dan, this is my girlfriend, Faith."

Faith quirked a quick smile at Xander, then shook Dan's offered hand.

"Nice to meet you," Dan said.

"Hey, I need a dog or something," Faith said, nodding her head at the Nathan's a few yards away. "Either of you guys want?"

"No, I just had lunch, thanks," Dan said.

"I'm good for now," Xander said.

Faith dropped her bag at their feet, and Dan and Xander watched as she headed off to get a hot dog.

Dan's hands were stuffed into his pants pockets, his arms pressed to his sides, and he spun on his heel to face his cousin. "Really?" Dan said.

"Yep," said Xander.

"She looks… different than I thought she'd look," said Dan.

"What did you think she'd look like?"

"I don't know," Dan said. "More… chaste? Innocent? Less biker chick? I mean, her name is Faith." He shook his head. "I didn't figure you for the bad girl type."

"I didn't either," Xander said. "But life throws some… strange pitches, and we end up in places we never thought we would." He looked over at Nathan's. "But sometimes it works out."

"Hey, well, good for you, man," Dan said.

"What about you, any special ladies in your life?"

"Ah, no, not at the moment," Dan said. "There was a girl. She's... smart, and funny, and beautiful, and... really, really rich."

"Oh, yeah, I can see why you'd want to let go of someone like that," Xander said.

Dan smiled. "She was great. We... were great. When we were great," he said. "It just... I don't know, there were issues on both of our sides, and it got... messy."

"Ah," Xander said.

"Also our parents are dating."

"Oooh," said Xander, wincing. "That... sucks."

"Yeah. It's okay, though. I think we're... on the way to maybe being, at least, friendly."

"Well, that's good," Xander said. "Friendly is good."

"So where are you staying?" Dan asked.

"Ah, a good question," Xander said. He pulled out his Blackberry and checked his e-mail. "Looks like... Times Square Hilton."

"Very nice," Dan said. "That's only about ten blocks from here."

"Hey," Xander said to Faith as she returned, half her hot dog already gone. "Feel like dropping our bags off at the hotel before we head out to Brooklyn?"

"Sounds good," she said. "I was gettin' antsy on that train. Not enough space. Could use a walk."

"Great," Dan said, heading for the 37th street exit. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out and looked at it. "Ah... crap."

"What?" Xander asked.

"No, nothing, just... this girl I hate is back in town. She caused a lot of trouble the last time she was here," Dan said. He shook his head. "I just hope I don't run into her."

"Well, it's a big town," Xander said. "What are the odds?"

----------

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Central Park Coffee

Rated: T

Author: BastardSnow

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it

Author's note: I cannot be blamed for the crossover here. Seriously. Not my fault. My boss forced me to watch the show. I _swear_. Also, I know the next crossover was supposed to be with _Saved!_, but seriously, that just wasn't working at all. As you may be able to tell from the fact that it's been more than 2 years since the last Coffee fic. This will technically have a _Saved!_ crossover, but we're getting that out of the way early.

Author's note 2: Crossover with Gossip Girl. Spoilers up through 2x19 "The Grandfather." I know the timeline is all messed up, so here are some ages I'm going with: Xander – 28. Dawn – 22. Dan – 18. I know this meshes not at all with the Coffee timeline (in that Dawn has aged, Coffee-wise, 2 years in a matter of months (since Colorado)), but I figure that I can excuse this because Gossip Girl has an abstract relationship with time, and that's allowed to infect me.

____________________________________

"That was Andrew," Willow said, hanging up her phone and putting it back in her purse. "He's sending an e-mail with an update on our girl. Buffy still not out?"

"Can you believe I'm related to this?" Dawn asked. They had stopped at a fast food restaurant so Buffy could check her hair in the mirror.

"Oh, right," Willow said, "like you wouldn't be this excited if you were meeting... Justin Timberlake?"

"Maybe," Dawn said. "But he's totally hot, and way famous. I barely even remember Lincoln Hawk."

"Well, you're younger than we are," Willow said.

"Do you remember Lincoln Hawk?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Willow said. "But I was never into popular bands as much as her, and after a while I kind of just paid attention to the Dingoes?" she shrugged.

"Ready," Buffy said, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Finally," said Dawn. "Can we go now?"

"Yup!" Buffy said, bouncing out the door. Dawn shook her head. She hooked her arm through Willow's and they strode through the streets, following Buffy's quick pace. They were only about five blocks from Xander's cousin's place, and after only a few more minutes of walking, they were standing outside the door of the Humphrey's apartment. Buffy looked nervous. Again, Dawn rolled her eyes. She stepped up to the door and knocked.

On the other side of the door, Dawn heard the sound of Faith's laughter pealing out from the apartment. She was greeted by the smiling face of an attractive young man whose smile and hair reminded her slightly of a young Xander. She smiled at him and opened her mouth to say hello when she saw his expression quickly go from happy to blank and all the way through to disgust.

He slid into the hall, apparently oblivious of both Buffy and Willow, shut the door behind him and grabbed Dawn roughly by the elbow.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said. "Didn't you get it last time? Nobody here wants to have anything to do with you, Georgina."

Buffy cleared her throat. Dawn shook off her surprise and let her training kick in. She wrenched her elbow from the guy's grasp, grabbed his arms, spun him around and shoved him against the wall, then held her forearm to his throat, cutting off his air supply.

"I don't know what your problem is, buddy, but my name isn't Georgina," she said. "And any problems you have with her are not problems you have with me."

"Yeah," said Buffy, amusement apparent in her voice. "That's a whole different set of problems."

The apartment door opened.

"Uh, Dawn?" Xander said. "Why are you assaulting my cousin?"

* * * * *

They all sat around the table in the Humphrey's apartment.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Rufus said. "You're not Georgina Sparks?"

Dawn shook her head. "No. Dawn Summers. All my life."

"You look exactly like her," said Jenny, the younger of Xander's cousins. "I mean, more like the 'Sarah' version of her, I guess, but still..."

"Sarah version?" Xander asked.

"She lied to me and introduced herself as Sarah," Dan said. "It was some crazy scheme she had to get back at Serena, who was my girlfriend at the time. It was a whole... thing. I'd rather not go into it too much, actually, but let's just say it involved a lot of deception and lies."

"Well, believe it or not, this isn't the first time this has happened to us," Buffy said. She took a sip of the tea Jenny had made. "Well, not to me or Faith or Xander, but we've met a couple other girls who look exactly like Willow."

Willow smiled a nervous, toothy smile.

"Oh my god!" Jenny exclaimed. "Trina Echolls!"

"We didn't actually meet her," said Faith, nodding. "Just her brother."

"And then there was Michelle in Chicago," Buffy said. "And all of her disturbing... uh... never mind."

"Anyway, it's not something we're unfamiliar with," said Willow.

Rufus shook his head. "Well... you kids have weird lives."

Xander smiled. "You're not wrong."

"Well, let me apologize again," Dan said. "I really don't normally attack girls."

"It's okay," Dawn said, smiling at him. "I get why you did. If someone had messed with me and my friends like that, I'd react violently too."

"Well, still, I should have made sure, first."

"Apology accepted," Dawn said.

"Well, now that that's all cleared up," Rufus said, rubbing his hands together, "what do you kids say we have some dinner?"

"Oh, yeah," Dan said. "Dad made his famous chili. I hope you guys have strong stomachs."

"I ate Buffy's cooking twice a week for a whole summer," Xander said, as Dan, Rufus and Jenny headed for the kitchen to get place settings and check on food. "I think I'm good."

"Hey!" Buffy said, swatting Xander on the shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry, Buffy," Dawn said, wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulder. "I usually messed with your cooking before you served it. It's... probably why we're not dead."

Xander and Willow toasted Dawn as Buffy sat there pouting. Jenny smiled as she set out bowls and spoons, and Dan brought glasses of water.

"First meal you made when I got back to Sunnydale," Faith said, "my first thought was 'Man, and I thought prison food tasted bad.'"

The Humphreys all froze in place, Dan and Jenny staring at her.

"Oh, she's uh, reformed," Xander said, tossing his arm over her shoulder. "Youthful indiscretions, and all that."

"Yeah," said Willow. "Totally all in the past."

"Well good," Rufus said, bringing a large pot over to the table. "I'm sure all of us have things we did that we're not proud of. I certainly do. And while I was never in prison, I have seen the inside of more than my share of jail cells. Young and alone on the road is not a good formula for responsibility. A couple of my band mates nicknamed me D&D."

"Dungeons and Dragons?" Xander asked.

"Drunk and disorderly," Faith said. "I've... been there a few times, too, mostly back in Boston."

"I stole from a dear family friend," said Dawn. "And... other people, too."

"Ditched school for almost a month to work for a fashion designer," said Jenny.

"Cheated on my boyfriend with my best friend," said Willow.

"Who later left his own fiancé at the altar, thank you," Xander said, hand raised.

"Hung out with a guy in order to use the tragedy of his mother's death to improve my chances to get into college," said Dan.

Silence reigned at the table, as they all turned to Buffy.

"Oh," she said. "Turns, right. Um... I burned down my high school gym, then moved to Sunnydale where I was later accused of murder."

The Humphreys stared at her, too.

"I um... was acquitted, though."

"Well, anyway," Rufus said to Faith. "None of us is perfect. You've put your past behind you, and are doing better. That's all anybody can ask."

Faith smiled at him.

Rufus took the lid off the pot with a flourish. "Now let's eat."

* * * * *

"But I think my favorite from that album was Take All of Me," Buffy said. While Xander, Willow and Dawn cleared the table, she was sitting on the couch close to Rufus. Very, very close.

"That's… great," he said, finding it difficult to look at her. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty – she was – but she was looking up at him with puppy dog eyes that just made him uncomfortable. And it didn't help that Dan, Faith and Jenny were right there snickering at them.

"It just… it kind of spoke to me, you know?" she said, placing a hand over her heart. "Here."

"So Faith," Dawn said, walking over to the couches. "How was your big, romantic dinner date last night?"

Faith looked up at her, confused. "My um… my what?"

Dawn smiled and turned around, back toward the kitchen. "The, you know…" she saw Xander slicing his hand across his neck. "The really nice dinner… that… nevermind, I guess."

Faith looked over at Xander. "The really nice what?"

"Well," Xander said. "I was going to take you out to a nice dinner last night. You know, since I asked you out, and we never actually got around to going on a date. I thought it would be nice."

"Why didn't you, then?" Faith asked.

Xander shrugged. "Well… you know…"

"I don't know," she said, standing up and walking over to him.

He sighed. "After making a reservation and ordering a limo and everything… I got back to the room, and found you… and you had just finished setting up all the bread, and the cold cuts. And the beer. And it just looked like you had put a lot of work into that, you know?"

"It was stale bread," Faith said.

"I know."

"And the cold cuts were from a convenience store."

"I know."

"And the beer was really cheap, and not actually very cold," Faith said.

"I'm aware of that, too," Xander said.

"And you wanted that, instead of some fancy restaurant?"

Xander shrugged. "I lived on worse than that for a year after high school. And to be honest, Faith, I didn't care what we ate. It could have been caviar and champagne or worm-infested apples and dirty water, and I would have enjoyed it just the same, because the important thing for me is that I was there with you."

Faith looked up at him for a second, and then pulled him down into a deep and lasting kiss.

And Willow, who had been watching the scene along with everyone else, leaned over to Dawn and said, "Well, somebody's getting lucky tonight."

* * * * *

"That's a wonderful group of friends you've got there," Rufus said. He and Xander were currently perched on the fire escape outside of Dan's room, drinking a couple of beers.

"It's too bad Giles couldn't make it," Xander said. "I would have liked for you to meet him. He's a great guy. Kind of... rode herd on us kids back in Sunnydale. Helped us out a lot."

"I'd love to have met him," Rufus said. "How are your parents, by the way?"

Xander took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "I don't really know," he said. "We haven't spoken much since I called off my wedding. I kind of made sure they got out of Sunnydale okay, and that... was about it." He furrowed his brow. "I don't have to tell you how they... were. Or are."

Rufus shook his head.

"I send Mom an e-mail every few months. Occasionally she writes back." Xander shrugged. "I'm not bitter about it, not anymore, but these people... they're my family now, you know?"

Rufus nodded. "I only hope my kids are lucky enough to have... family like this, when they're your age."

Xander smiled.

"Listen," Rufus said. "I know things are going well, and you've got your friends here. But if you ever need a place to crash, or just somewhere to get away for a little while, you're always welcome here. We'd love to see more of you."

"I appreciate it," Xander said. "I'd love to make it up here more often. My job kind of takes me all over the country, so I don't actually have much free time. We're actually here on business, technically."

"What business is that, exactly?" Rufus asked. "I've never been clear on what it is you do."

Xander smiled. "I'm kind of the... co-head recruiter for an exclusive all-girls school in Cleveland," he said. "We're here to talk to a student, actually."

"Oh yeah? What school?"

"Some rich school in Manhattan," Xander said. "Um... Car... no... Con... yeah. Constance... Ballet?"

"Constance Billard?" Rufus asked. "You're trying to recruit a girl *away* from Constance Billard?"

"Uh, I guess," Xander said. "Is that bad?"

Rufus shook his head. "No... it's just... well, Constance Billard is full of very rich girls who are used to always getting what they want. Also, a diploma from Constance Billard can really help a girl get into the college of her choice. I've actually managed to scrape together enough money to send Jenny there, and Dan goes to the sister school, St. Jude's. They're very good schools, and the kids there are unlikely to want to leave, even if it's only because they're very in tune, in touch, and ingrained in New York high society."

Xander nodded slowly, taking a sip from his beer. "Well, we've got a really good pitch."

Rufus smiled. "Xander... I don't want to discourage you," he said. "But –"

"But you're about to anyway," Xander said, smiling. "It's cool, Uncle Rufus. It's a good school. I get it."

"A great school."

Xander held up his hand. "Listen... this isn't going to make a lot of sense to you, but just hear me out. Back in Sunnydale, my friends and I did some stuff. Not bad stuff, but we were kind of... important to the town. When Sunnydale was dying – and trust me, everyone there knew it was – there are some measures that we took to... ensure the safety of the people there. Measures that affected people far and wide.

"And now we have a responsibility to these people – these girls, actually– to ensure that they have help, if they need it. Now you said these girls are rich, for the most part. That's great, but sometimes money isn't enough. Sometimes what they need is someone who can relate. Someone who knows what they're going through." Xander shook his head. "Maybe we approach her, and she says no. She writes us off, tells us not to contact her. That's fine. But we have to try."

Rufus took a moment to soak that all in, then slowly began to nod. "Okay. You're right, there's a lot of that I don't understand. But if for whatever reason you and your friends feel you have some sort of responsibility to this girl, then by all means, you should do what you feel is right." He patted Xander on the back. "I can't believe how much you've grown since I last saw you."

"What?" Xander said, mocking offense. "I'm only like 10 pounds heavier. Okay, maybe 20."

"Not what I meant, Xander," Rufus said, patting him on the back.

"I know," Xander said, smiling.

"Hey, and maybe Dan or Jenny even know this girl," Rufus said. "That could be a way to talk to her without seeming creepy."

"Always a bonus," said Xander.

"What's her name?" Rufus asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"Blair Waldorf," Xander said.

Rufus spewed his beer out over the fire escape. He leaned on his elbow and looked up at Xander. "You're recruiting Blair Waldorf?"

"Uh, yeah," Xander said. "Is that a bad thing?"

Rufus sighed. "Well, it... could be interesting." He leaned into the apartment and called out for his son. "So your friend Buffy," he said. "She's a little..."

"Intense? Insane?"

"I was going to go with odd," Rufus said.

Xander shrugged. "She's a fan. If you've got any old album covers around, it would really mean a lot to her if you could sign one. She... well, we all lost a lot when Sunnydale went down."

"Of course, no problem," Rufus said, smiling. "It is nice to have contact with fans."

"Probably because it happens so rarely," Dan said, sticking his head out of his bedroom window. "You guys need something?

Rufus smiled at him. "This is going to sound weird," he said. "But we're... going to need you to call Serena."

----------

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Central Park Coffee

Rated: PG-13

Author: BastardSnow

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it

Author's note: I cannot be blamed for the crossover here. Seriously. Not my fault. My boss forced me to watch the show. I _swear_. Also, I know the next crossover was supposed to be with _Saved!_, but seriously, that just wasn't working at all. As you may be able to tell from the fact that it's been more than 2 years since the last Coffee fic. This will technically have a Saved! crossover, but we're getting that out of the way early.

Author's note 2: Crossover with Gossip Girl. Spoilers up through 2x19 "The Grandfather." I know the timeline is all messed up, so here are some ages I'm going with: Xander – 28. Dawn – 22. Dan – 18. I know this meshes not at all with the Coffee timeline (in that Dawn has aged, Coffee-wise, 2 years in a matter of months (since Colorado)), but I figure that I can excuse this because Gossip Girl has an abstract relationship with time, and that's allowed to infect me.

____________________________________

"Dan, you know Blair is never going to go for this. She lives and breathes this city, and the only other place she'd even want to go is –"

"Yale, I know. But that's not an option for her anymore, and that's at least partly my fault."

"She made her own bed, Dan."

"Well, maybe," Dan said. "But I helped. And I don't know if my cousin can help her out, or if she'd want it even if he could. But maybe, you know? And maybe a change of scene would be good for her."

Serena sat back in her chair and sighed.

"Look, I know it's a long shot," Dan said. "But all he's asking for at the moment is to sit down and talk. And maybe he can help."

"I suppose it can't hurt," Serena said. She pulled out her phone and hit the speed dial. "B, it's S. What are you doing? Uh huh. Well, listen, something... kind of odd is going on. Do you mind if I stop by? And... bring a few people? No, B, it's not an intervention. Just want to talk. I swear! Okay. See you in thirty."

"We're in?" Dan asked.

"We're in," Serena said, rolling her eyes.

"Now, I have to warn you about one thing." Serena waited for him. Dan took a deep breath. "One of them… looks a lot like Georgina."

"Looks like Georgina?"

Dan nodded.

"But isn't?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she's not," Dan said. "Like… 85% sure." He waved at a corner of the restaurant. Five people stood up and walked toward them.

Dan laughed. "Serena van der Woodsen, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Xander Harris, and his friends and colleagues, Faith Lehane, Willow Rosenberg, and Buffy and Dawn Summers."

Serena stared directly at Dawn, then turned to Dan. "Dan, you're an idiot. That is clearly Georgina."

"Uh, no," Dawn said. "Not her, actually."

"You are. You even sound like her."

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Look, I know she looks… scarily like Georgina," Dan said. "But I know Georgina. Not as well as you, obviously, but I spent a lot of time with her. This? Is not Georgina."

Serena looked them over and shook her head. "Look, even if I'm willing to believe you, Blair never will." Serena looked at Dawn. "Sorry, I'm sure you're a perfectly nice person, but if you're there, you guys will be thrown out five seconds after she sees you."

"I told you," Dan said to Xander. "I told you that it wouldn't work."

"Yeah, but–" Xander started.

"It's okay," Dawn said. "I'm used to it. Story of my freaking life. Dawn's too young, she can't hear that. Dawn looks too much like some bitchy skank, she can't be there. Dawn's an amorphous blob of green energy, can't let her stray too far."

"Dawn's a what?" Dan asked.

"Nothing," Buffy said, shooting a look at her sister. "We'll just go shopping. It's fine."

Dawn rolled her eyes and strutted out of the restaurant, Buffy trailing behind.

"Not Georgina?" Serena said.

"Pretty sure," said Dan.

"Okay," Xander said, clapping his hands together. "So me, Will and Faith, then. This okay?"

"Better," Serena said. "And less overwhelming, too. So, how did you guys find out about Blair? And... why do you think you have a chance of drawing her away from Constance Billard?"

Xander smiled weakly. "We uh... we have a good pitch."

*****

"Seriously, S?" Blair said. She strutted down the stairs in high-cut skirt. "You tell me you need to see me, and you bring me a Humphrey?"

"And family, actually," Dan said. "Blair, this is my cousin Xander, and his –"

Blair narrowed her eyes. "You," she said. "With the red hair."

"Uh, yes?" Willow asked nervously.

"I've seen you somewhere."

"She looks a lot like Aaron Echolls's daughter," Dan said.

"No, that's not it," said Blair. She strode up to Willow and looked at her from the side. "Oh my God. You were one of the other girls in that picture."

"What picture?" Serena asked.

Blair turned to her friend. "The one at the airport yesterday. With Georgina?"

"Does everybody see those things?" Xander asked.

"Pretty much," Dan said. "Listen, the girl in that picture is not Georgina."

"I'm pretty damn sure it is," said Blair.

"Well, I met her last night, and I'm pretty damn sure it isn't," said Dan. "Although... her uncanny resemblance to Georgina is the reason she's not here right now."

"Her name is Dawn Summers," Xander said. "I've known her since she was eleven, and I can tell you for certain that she was not here last year. In fact, this is her first time to the city."

"And why should I believe you?" Blair asked.

"Because Dan is my cousin?" Xander tried.

Dan and Serena visibly winced. "Swing and a miss," Dan muttered.

"S, why did you bring them here? What possible use could this have been?" Blair asked.

"I... was just told that they wanted to help," Serena said.

"What am I, some charity case now?" Blair asked, sauntering up to Serena. "I lose my spot at Yale, and all of a sudden the great Serena van der Woodsen feels like she has to fix me? I am Blair effing Waldorf. I don't need anybody."

Blair turned to look at Xander. "You all can leave, now."

Xander and Willow stepped back to head toward the elevator, but Faith stood her ground.

"Faith?" Xander asked.

"Are you mentally deficient?" Blair asked. "I said leave."

"Oh, I heard you," Faith said. "But we ain't leavin' until you hear us out."

"You think you can force your help on me?"

"I can force you to do a lot of things," Faith said. "But the only thing I'm interested in making you do is listen."

"They're kind of forceful for private school recruiters," Serena whispered to Dan. Dan nodded in agreement.

"Listen?" Blair said. "To what a sub-literate wannabe biker tramp has to say? Why would I bother? I'm richer than you. I'm prettier than you, and I've got much, much better clothes. What could you possibly have that could help someone like me?"

"Dean Berube on speed dial," Willow said softly.

Blair, Dan and Serena all looked up at this.

"Excuse me, what?" Dan asked. "You have the dean of Yale on speed dial?"

"Well, no," Willow said. "He didn't quite make the speed dial cut. But I do have his personal number."

"Still," Blair said. "My dreams of Yale are over. They're done with me."

"We know about your dreams," Faith said. "Not Yale. The other ones. The ones that wake you up with the strong desire to go out and... hunt."

Dan and Serena looked at her, puzzled, but Blair's eyes were wide with shock.

"Dan. Serena," Blair said quietly. "Help yourselves to anything in the kitchen."

"B, are you sure you –"

"I'm sure," Blair said. She smiled, and took both of Serena's hands in her own. "Thank you."

Serena nodded and led Dan into the kitchen. Blair led Willow, Faith and Xander over to the couch, and sat on the chaise lounge across from them.

"Tell me about the dreams," Blair said.

"Well," Xander said. "It probably –"

"Not you," Blair snapped. She pointed to Faith. "Her."

Xander shut up and sat back on the couch.

Faith swallowed. "Well, it's been a while for me," she said. "But it's something like this: you start off as an African girl. Dirty, and barely clothed, but savage, brutal and beautiful. She goes out at night and she kills things. You move... through time, always a different girl, always fighting, sometimes dying."

Faith paused for a second, collecting her thoughts. "It's different for most everyone who has it, but there are a few that tend to crop up at the end. A Chinese girl who gets her neck broke by a guy with white hair. A black lady in the subway in New York, back in the seventies. And a blonde girl. California cute. Jumping off a platform high in the sky."

"Looks like this," Willow said, holding up her phone with a picture of Buffy.

"Are they all... dead?" Blair asked.

"All but her," Faith said, nodding at Willow's phone.

"Where is she?" Blair asked.

"Right now?" Willow said. "Probably Bergdorf's."

Blair looked surprised. "Could I... could she...?"

"On it," Xander said, standing up from the couch and dialing Buffy's cell phone.

"So what does it mean?" Blair asked.

"It means that you are one in a long line of girls who can seriously kick some ass," Faith said.

"And those things that they were fighting... with the faces. They turned to dust?"

"Vampires," Willow said. "And you are a vampire slayer."

"Like me," Faith said. "For ages and ages, there was only one slayer at a time. One died and the next one was called. She died, and another was called. Until Buffy."

"Buffy?" Blair asked.

"The blonde," Willow said. "She died, and another slayer was called, but Buffy didn't stay dead."

"How?"

"Xander, actually," Willow said. "Buffy was drowned, and Xander did CPR. Brought her back."

Blair turned to Faith, but Faith held up her hand. "Before you ask," Faith said, "no. I wasn't next. There was a girl between Buffy and me. She died."

"Anyway," Willow said, "a few years ago, we changed some things, and now every girl who has the potential to be a slayer actually becomes a slayer."

"Like me," Blair said.

"Like you." Faith nodded.

"Can I... can I tell people? I haven't told anybody, they'd think I'm a freak."

"You can tell people," Willow said. "We actually encourage telling the people... people who you can most count on in a pinch.

"So what do I do now?"

"What do you want to do?" Xander asked, returning to the room and sitting between Willow and Faith.

"What do you mean?" Blair asked.

"I mean what do you want to do?" Xander said. "Look, you're almost done with high school, so our little school out in Cleveland is of limited use, although we'd love for you to come out and meet some of the other girls. But you're young, rich, and you've got your whole life in front of you."

Xander leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We can teach you about all of this stuff, vampires, and demons, everything like that. We can teach you how to fight, and we can teach you to survive, or we can go away and never darken your doorstep again as long as you live. It's entirely up to you. What do you want to do?"

*****

"My friends are going to think I'm a freak."

"Maybe," Buffy said. She sipped her coffee to warm herself up. "But you never know, maybe they'll think it's cool. Maybe... maybe you'll find out who your real friends are. Or maybe you already know, and they're the ones you tell." She shrugged. "Or maybe you don't tell anybody. But I speak from experience when I say it's easier if you have people you can talk to. People who can help."

"Like your friends?"

Buffy nodded. "Me and Willow and Xander go way back," she said. "They knew about me before my family did. They, along with my sister, and my watcher, were there for me through the worst things I've ever been through. And the best. People like Serena and Dan can really be a help."

Blair snorted. "Dan. He'd pour water on me if I was on fire, but more than that..." she shook her head.

"I don't know. If he's anything like his cousin, there's probably more there than you think."

"Maybe," Blair said. "So… all of this physical stuff. I am incredibly strong. I have to stop and think before opening a door when I'm angry. And I never get tired anymore! Not even when I'm working out. Is that all… normal?"

"I have a collection of busted doorknobs to prove it," Buffy said. "Or I would if my hometown wasn't at the bottom of a lake…"

"And the dreams?" Blair asked. "Are they… are they going to go away?"

Buffy nodded. "Not forever, but they won't be nearly as numerous, and they'll also change. Slayers have prophetic dreams. We've figured out that the ones you've been having, where you're all these different girls… they're kind of a mystical way of teaching you about who you are, what you can do. Nothing in depth, but once you accept that you are like the girls in your dreams, they fade away."

"That has to suck for the girls you don't get to," Blair said.

"We get to them all, eventually. Some actually find us."

Blair sighed.

"Listen," Buffy said. "I know this is a lot to take in. We're gonna be in town for a couple of days. Take your time. You've got our numbers. Call us anytime."

Buffy's phone beeped. She read the message quickly, then put the phone back in her pocket.

"And actually, call us anytime even if we're not in New York," she said. "But I have to be honest with you, you're kind of a low priority case for us."

"What?" Blair said. "Why?"

"Honestly? Because you're rich. I'm not saying you've got a great life or anything, I don't really know anything about you. But you've got options open to you that a lot of the other girls don't."

"I have worked hard for everything I've ever gotten," Blair said, almost defiantly.

"I'm sure you have," Buffy said. "But it doesn't change the fact that if you don't come to Cleveland, if you don't live in our dorms, if you don't go to our school, you'll be well taken care of. Some of our girls we've picked up off the streets, or out of abusive homes, or after they got out of rehab. You're not exactly needy."

"True enough, I guess," Blair said. Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it. "How did you do it? How did you handle all of this when you were just one girl?"

"I trained hard, I... often listened to people who knew more than I did, though not as often as I should have, and I had the people I love to help me out when I needed it," she said. She thought about it for a moment. "Plus, I'm kind of awesome."

Blair laughed. "Well I guess I have to think about some things. I do think I'll probably want to come see your place in Cleveland this summer."

"We do a wicked 4th of July cook out," Buffy said.

"Why – do you mind if I ask, why Cleveland?"

"Oh, it's the site of the mouth of Hell," Buffy said, very matter-of-factly. "Just a young one, though. Not as bad as Sunnydale."

Blair shivered slightly, and sipped from her coffee.

"Check your phone," Buffy said, taking another sip of her own.

Blair frowned, but pulled her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open.

"Oh my God!" she yelled. "You guys can actually do that?" She threw her arms around Buffy and hugged her, making sure not to spill her drink. "Thank you so much! I can't believe you got me back into Yale!"

Buffy smiled and hugged Blair back, somewhat awkwardly.

"This is a one-time thing," Buffy said. "You were qualified academically, and our headmaster is very well respected. But you're on a short leash, Blair. Dean Berube expects you to be on your best behavior, and to maintain a high GPA. You have basically zero room for screw up. Understood?"

Blair nodded quickly. She hugged Buffy again. "I have to go tell Serena. I will call you."

"Good," Buffy said.

"And please, tell your friends and your headmaster thank you for me," Blair said.

Buffy nodded, and Blair hurried off back toward her home. Buffy walked over to a bench and sat down. A few minutes later, Xander and Willow sat down next to her.

"She could be trouble," Buffy said.

"You have no idea," Xander said.

"Really?"

Willow nodded. "We spent the last few hours talking to Xander's family, and their friends. That girl is one serious piece of work.

"I've fought the end of the world beside capital 'H' Heroes and I've fought my own demons alone in the dark," Xander said. "I have gone up against the evilest evil that walks this, or any other dimension, and God help me, I dated Cordelia. But in all that time, I have never, ever met or heard of someone as devious or backstabbing as Blair Waldorf. If what Dan says is true, she makes the Mayor seem like a short-term planner."

"So what do we do about her?" Buffy asked.

"Dan thinks getting her out of the city might help, but I remember that Rory said that Yale can be basically just a less personal, more vicious form of high school, and I'm not sure that's going to work so well," Xander said.

"Do we have anybody at Yale right now?" Buffy asked. "Someone who could ride herd on her?"

"One Watcher candidate who's PhD'ing it," Xander said. "But I wouldn't bet he could rein her in."

"I could send Dawn to Yale," Buffy said. "She wants to do some doctoral something or other, right?"

"Buffy, you know I love Dawn like she's my own sister, but Dawnie? Would be toast," Willow said. "Blair is vicious, vindictive, and torments people just for fun, and Dawn looks just like her sworn enemy. She wouldn't stand a chance."

"If Dan and Jenny are right, I wouldn't even have bet on Cordelia," Xander said. "Although, that would have fun to watch."

"I'm a little scared about what we've unleashed on the world now," Buffy said. "I guess we're going to have to keep an eye on her."

The three of them stood up and started walking.

"Anya would go down in a second," Xander said, shaking his head. "Graham would just… he'd die."

"I might put some money on Angelus," Willow said, linking her arm with Xander's.

"No, his weakness was fake blondes," Xander said.

"Hey!" Buffy said. She tossed her coffee cup into a trashcan, and then linked arms with Xander, too, and the three of them walked together back to their hotel.

----------

The End


End file.
